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Mysteries of The Universe by Honora (Research Assignment: //The Universe and Beyond// )

Since almost the beginning of time, civilizations have struggled to understand our complex universe. Even today, not even the greatest scientific minds can even truly conceive the universe without any doubts. Many even have come to believe that the Universe exists purely for us to perceive it. But nowadays, we have the capability and resources to plunge head-on into the mysteries of our universe.

**What Is the Universe?** Food for thought: What //is// the Universe? Is it a bunch of cosmic stuff that just swirls around in a big, empty space, or is it actually made out of something? And is it something we can’t even see? This is one question that scientists can answer. Using, our modern-day technology, NASA had a probe detect microwave fluctuations over the entire sky for five years to analyze our universe, and used background knowledge to analyze the universe approximately 380,000 years ago. With its specific type of telescope, it found that the universe 380,000 years ago was composed of 63% Dark matter, 10% neutrinos (A neutrino is a weightless sub-atomic particle that moves around the universe at the speed of light), 15% photons and 12% atoms. But, with its new information of our universe today, we know that presently, our universe is very different. Today, it is made up of 72% Dark Energy, 4.6 atoms, and the rest is dark matter and other unknown things that scientists persistently try to discover. The true root question is: where did our whole universe come from? And the true problem with this question is that there isn’t just one answer.

**At the Very Beginning** Science can only go to such lengths to try to prove certain things. Science is only science when it supports something through real, factual evidence. Since there was no one around at the exact moment everything-or maybe even //nothing// - was made, scientists can only go by taking what knowledge they //do// have, which isn’t very much. The most reliable theory about where our universe came from is the famed Big Bang Theory. Astronomers say that the big bang was the exact moment- based on equations- that temperature and density became infinite. The universe around us is rapidly expanding-increasing in volume by about 1 trillion cubic light years per minute. The expansion was caused of course because of the big bang theory. The massive explosion still affects the growing universe today, increasing in speed as the universe expands even more. The force of the explosion drives this expansion, and dark energy as it increases while being stretched of an inconceivably large universe. Edwin Hubble was the astronomer that sparked an interest in this idea. He observed that the galaxies had been moving away from each other- moving away from us even. As time went on, scientists came to only one conclusion: this expansion must have come from one small, tight, speck, at the beginning of everything; a force so great that up until this very day, it still drives everything away. But, this large expansion, had to come from somewhere. In truth, it must have been one tiny, an almost undetectable spot. If it were any larger than what astronomers expect it to be-the size of a proton-scientists would much more easily be able to know where the universe came from.

**Rejecting the Big Bang Theory** This transition from nothing into everything is a controversial idea. A so called: “Big Bang” did not make sense to some doubtful scientists. There was no significant proof the Big Bang was the true beginning of absolutely everything, only observations. Ambassadors of the Cyclic Universe Theory say this: imagine a speck, exploding into everything. Where could the speck have come from? I just didn’t make sense to them.
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The Cyclic Universe theory is a popular theory that sort of ties space, time and even the big bang together. A cyclic universe would be a “universe” or mass of endless space-much like ours-that has a reoccurring Big Bang that repeats at roughly similar intervals. It is believed to repeat every trillion years or so. This would leave plenty of time for a universe to expand, grow, change, leave things behind, and even perhaps create civilizations. Other radical thinkers thought that this idea was on a very good track, but lacked evidence to prove such a dense subject. String Theory is more of a phenomenon-hypothesis about the universe. It has no real proof but goes by logic and reasoning to deduce a conclusion. This theory is the “parallel universe theory” but much more in depth. This claim states that our world, and another are separated but one small brane or “string”. This small gap separates us by a fourth dimension-a dimension where our simple concepts of time and space don’t really apply. Space and Time have forever been one of the greatest concepts that have stumped even the greatest minds of all time. They cannot exist without the other, but also make it even more difficult to comprehend to imagine that they are one in the same. That is the type of dimension that is said to separate us; a dimension where basically only light and gravity exist. We cannot see the other universe, because there is much too much light in this dimension, and all our light would be trapped in the brane, and virtually block all contact whatsoever. This other world should be very similar to ours according to Stephen Hawking. He believes that this other civilization would be much more intelligent than ours, but also may to even be “human”.

**Ending of Universe** //“Some say the world will end in fire;// //Some say in ice.// //From what I've tasted of desire// //I hold with those who favor fire.// //But if it had to perish twice,// //I think I know enough of hate// //To say that for destruction ice// //Is also great// //And would suffice.”// //-Robert Frost// Many scientists have reason to believe through experiments, equations and pure imagination that the universe will eventually end. Some believe it will be an anatomically massive event that no one could even possibly understand. Like the theory that many believe: The Big Crunch. The Big Crunch is basically a theory based on common sense and reason stating that since the universe began in a Big Bang-instantaneously exploding from the size of a proton, then expanding into our universe- then its ending will be exactly the opposite. Scientists and astronomers hypothesize that once the expansion of the universe becomes too stressed from the immense pull between expansion and gravity, the universe will collapse in on itself in an explosive, moment. If this were to happen, it would be chaos. Galaxies, stars, black holes and anything else that you could possibly think of in all of space would crash together and all light would be completely gone. Another theory, though less popular is the Oscillating Universe Theory. This is a pretty blunt idea that the universe will end in an enormous mist of subatomic particles and deadly radiation. Also, that the temperature will plummet and be freezing cold. All this would be what becomes of our universe after some sort of “Big Crunch” episode. In contrast to these ideas, many believe that universe will simply never end. Many scientists and astronomers believe in inflation-the concept of our universe expanding like a balloon into nothingness. Inflation leads many to believe that since the universe is expanding into nothingness, that nothing will get in the way of the expansion. Stephen Hawkings though ponders a relatively similar thought about the ending of the Universe: A Final Big Chill. Since Dark Energy drives the force of our expansion, he thinks that the universe will than expand forever until everything is so far away from each other, that each others light will not reflect off each other, and everything will go cold and dark and even gravity will stop from being stretched so thin. Also, the theories of the ending universe to them are more like hypotheses because there isn’t enough mathematical or scientific evidence to prove that there is any reason the universe will end in any way. Will we ever truly understand the universe? Will we one day, by some means find all the answers we have been hunting for, for over thousands of years? Or will we be condemned to endless lifetimes of being left in the dark? Maybe this is all just a coincidence. But, is it harder to think that everything is totally improbable, or that we are here by chance? Life’s improbability seems to be a scientific impossibility. But here we are, searching for the reasons. To push the limits of scientific discovery in this field, it is critical that we first push the limits of our imagination, and stretch it as far as the universe itself to solve the mysteries of the universe.

**Bibliography (Cited Sources)**

1) **(Book #1 Public Library)** Dickinson, Terrence. __The Universe and Beyond__. Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books Inc., 2004

2) **(Book #2)** Hawking, Stephen. __The Universe In a Nutshell__. New York, New York: Banton Books, 2001

3) **(Online Reference #1)** Steinhardt, Paul. “A Cyclic Universe”. SEEDMAGAZINE.COM. (Jul 2, 2007). Seed. Seedmagazine.com. Martin Luther King Jr. School. 7 Dec. 2010

4) **(Online Article #1)** Ferris, Timothy. “How will the Universe End? (With a Bang or a Whimper).” __Time__. 10 Apr. 2000: 1-3

5) **(Online Reference Source #2)** Naeye, Robert. “WMAP Reveals Neutrinos, End of Dark Ages, First Second of Universe”. __NASA__

6) **(Source of Your Choice)** “Weird Beginnings.” __Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking.__ Stephen Hawking. April 25, 2010

7) **Extra Credit (Documentary, TV or Radio Program) “Life’s Improbability”. __Into the__ __Universe with Stephen Hawking__. Stephen Hawking. April 25, 2010 **


 * 8) **(In-text quote Quote)** Robert Frost

Special ‘thanks’ to Ms. Collins! J